Faded
by IntuitiveIntelligence
Summary: AH. When Rose moves to a new city after graduating college, she runs into a former flame. Can love ever truly fade?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I severely regretted not labeling each box with the meticulous detail that Sydney had suggested when I moved out of our shared college apartment. Instead my technique had been to throw things haphazardly into boxes while drinking a bottle of wine. Digging through the box in front of me I found: my oven mitts (one of which was partially singed), my kitschy salt and pepper shakers (Micky and Minnie Mouse), a cookbook purchased with the best intentions that was never opened, and at the very bottom my wine opener.

'Lesson learned, Hathaway, next time put this in the essentials box.' I thought to myself as I used it to uncork the bottle of Cab I treated myself to. Of course as soon as I opened it I realized I had no idea where my wine glasses courtesy of Ikea were, so I resolved myself to drinking straight from the bottle as I unpacked.

I moved to Boston after receiving a job offer for a secondary assistant position at Tarus Industries. Tarus was a top communications firm with hands in magazines, web media, radio and was branching into television. With my start date a week away, I had a lot to do to acclimate myself to a brand new city.

After sitting in a crouched position on my hardwood floor for several hours, I realized that I was missing some key pieces of furniture like chairs. Our living room couches in college had belonged to Sydney, and outside of my bed and other small miscellaneous items, my apartment was barren. I wasn't the best shopper in the world, and resigned myself to texting my friend Lissa to help me go shopping in the morning.

Lissa Dragomir was old money, as blue blood Old Boston as they came. With her pedigree came the ability to spend said money without hesitation. That isn't to say she was reckless, she just never felt the guilt that an average person did when splurging on a $2,000.00 dress.

I'd met her in boarding school, St. Vladamir's Academy. I attended because my divorced parents couldn't be bothered with me, and she had attended because she had no where else to go. Lissa's parents had died and her guardian, her family lawyer, had enrolled her to keep her busy until she graduated turned 18 and legally could take over her inheritance.

Since neither of us ever went home during the holidays, she became my surrogate family. I had missed her when we separated for different colleges, but was glad that we'd be able to rekindle our friendship now that we were both in the same city.

When I could no longer stop the yawns from coming, I slipped out of my clothes and into my bed letting the down softness envelope me.

I awoke to the shrill sound of my cell phone, cotton-mouth and dried drool on the side of my face.

"Hello?" My own voice barely a whisper.

"Good morning, Sunshine! I brought breakfast. I tried your bell but it doesn't seem to be working, you probably want to mention that to the building manager. Can you buzz me in?" Lissa chirped happily.

"God Lissa what time is it even? And why are you yelling?"

"I'm not yelling, and its after 10. Come let me in already, the neighbor is giving me a funny look."

"Give me two seconds, I just need to throw on pants."

After struggling into yesterday's jeans and tying up my birds nest formerly known as my hair into a messy knot, I went to the buzzer and unlocked the front door. A minute later, Lissa appeared holding out two coffees and a bag full of pastries from the coffee shop on the corner.

"Oh this place is cute, Rose. I love the exposed brick, almost makes it worth the fact that your building lacks an elevator. The stairs are going to be great for your ass though."

"Less talking… more coffee." I said stealing one of the cups out of the tray and downing a large gulp, not caring that it scalded my tongue.

Personally, I had always an affinity for hot chocolate, but late night study sessions with Sydney in college taught me the importance of caffeine. When I finished my coffee and polished off two chocolate croissants, I started to feel more human.

"How much wine did you drink last night Hathaway?" Lissa said arching a blonde brow while looking at my recycling.

"It was only two bottles, besides I got everything unpacked."

"Alright, well go take a shower because you smell like a teenage boy's locker room and I'll drive us out to the furniture store so we can get you setup. I took the liberty of booking us lunch reservations at my favorite place over on Newbury. They have the best salads. While we are there we can pick you up some outfits for your new job as well."

"Calm down, lets take it one thing at a time. Give me twenty and I'll be ready to head out."

True to her word Lissa drove us out to two of the larger furniture chains. The better part of the morning was spent testing couches and recliners. Eventually, we settled on getting a sage colored sectional and coffee table for the living room, a dresser for my bedroom and some bar stools for my kitchen island. My apartment didn't really leave enough room for a proper dining table and I subsisted mostly on take out anyway.

At 1 o'clock Lissa had dragged me into the restaurant, my feet were killing me and my stomach was growling loudly enough for the skinny blonde hostess to look at me funny.

"Dragomir, party of 2." Lissa said coolly.

"Of course. Right this way, Ms. Dragomir."

We were lead to a table by the open windows where we could feel the breeze and the sunshine on our skin.

Our waiter came over Lissa ordered some sparkling water with a twist of lemon, I however ordered a Bloody Mary. Hair of the dog and all that. He brought us our drinks and asked if we knew what we wanted to order.

Lissa politely ordered the signature salmon salad and handed him back her menu. When he turned to me, I think his jaw unhinged.

"Can I get the house salad, an order of calamari and the Jumbo Sirloin burger medium-rare?

"Will you like plates to share?" He said tentatively.

"No that's for one." I smiled back at him, daring him to comment further.

"Okay… very well, I'll be back with your food shortly."

As soon as he walked away Lissa started shaking her head, "I don't know where you put it all. I still maintain that you have a tapeworm."

I smiled lifting up my tank top and patting my flat stomach. "No Tapeworm Liss, just good genes."

When our food arrived, I started tucking in. Forcing myself to eat the salad first, before consuming the spicy calamari. I was even nice enough to offer Lissa a few pieces.

I had just bitten into my burger that was roughly half the size of my head when the restaurant erupted in excited chatter. From what I could tell someone famous had just walked in.

"Who is here?" I murmured around the burger.

"Gross Rose, don't talk with your mouth full. I think its one of the Bruins players." She said craning her neck to get a better look.

A pit settled in my stomach. Hockey. Hockey player. I avoided them like the plague for the past five years, which is no small feat when you live in Montana. I sunk down into my seat on reflex and tried to focus on chewing.

Glancing upwards, my eyes met the gaze of someone I worked so hard to forget.

"Rose, why is Dimitri Belikov staring at you?" Lissa murmured under her breath.

I swallowed the bite doing my best not to choke, and placed the burger down on my plate. Self-consciously I began wiping at my mouth with the linen napkin and trying to look anywhere but directly across from me where he sat.

"Rose?" Lissa prodded again.

"Maybe he was thinking of getting the burger as well?" I joked and downed the rest of my Bloody Mary.

"What's going on? You're acting strange."

"I've got to go to the restroom, I'll be back in a minute."

I sprang up and immediately made my way towards the back of the restaurant, one wrong turn nearly had me in the kitchens before I found the sanctuary of the women's room and splashed cool water on my face.

The last time I'd seen him he'd been putting on his clothes after he'd taken my virginity when I was seventeen. And now here he was five years later, looking even better than I remembered. He'd cut his shoulder length hair and was sporting a bit of a goatee and looked more like a GQ model than a rough around the edges college kid from Russia, but my body reacted much as it always had.

After hiding in the bathroom for a solid 15 minutes, I braved heading back to the table. Fortunately Lissa had settled the bill in my absence and had the presence of mind to ask them to box up the rest of my meal.

She steered me outside and we were halfway down the block before she pushed me into an alley.

"Talk, Hathaway. What the hell just happened in there?"

I took several deep breaths, trying to articulate what I wanted to say. I'd never told Lissa about how I lost my virginity. I thinks he still assumed it was Jesse Zeklos who Id dated senior year.

"Remember the Summer I went to stay with my Dad? Well… there's something's I left out about that vacation."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello,

Please let me know how you are finding this story. Reviews appreciated. Enjoy.

Chapter Two

The flight to Vancouver was blissfully over before I knew it. Out of guilt my father had sprung for a First Class ticket. Unfortunately the flight attendants knew I was underage so I didn't get the complimentary champagne that the other passengers in my cabin did.

I grabbed my carry on from the compartment above me; my well-loved and abused leather backpack Lissa had gotten me a few Christmases ago. It was still early evening, just past 6 pm as I stared blankly waiting for my suitcase to come down the luggage carousel. I finally saw it, the blinding hot pink polka dot ribbon Lissa tied on it for me "to find it easier" making the black luggage stand out.

I heaved it off the carousel and wheeled it behind me hoping to spot my dad amongst the crowd. I shouldn't have been shocked when I was instead met with a non-descript driver holding up a sign that said Rosemarie Mazur.

It was a constant point of contention between my parents, what my last name should be since they weren't married and couldn't stand each other ninety percent of the time. They eventually decided to hyphenate it so I was Hathaway–Mazur. I always just preferred Hathaway as it was easier with my peers and less of a mouthful.

I walked up to the guy and raised my eyebrow, handing off my luggage. "So the Old Man was too busy to come himself huh?"

"Your father said that he will meet you back at the apartment, he unfortunately was stuck on a business call."

"Isn't he always? Lead on Jeeves."

The driver had the better sense than to reply to my sarcastic comment, and wheeled my luggage out to his town car. He opened the rear door for me, shutting it firmly behind me once I was inside. After he stowed my suitcase in the truck he made his way back to the front smoothly pulling back out into traffic and hopping on the highway towards downtown. I pulled out my ipod and let the music drown out the uncomfortable silence until we arrived in front of his building.

My father Abe Mazur was a lawyer specializing in representing professional athletes. That's how he met my mother, former champion Olympic figure skater Janine Hathaway. He was 25 and just passed the bar and she was 18 and looking to rebel. 9 months later, I popped out ruining what was left of her career.

My father lived in a modern high-rise where everything was sleek and contemporary. To me it felt cold, but to everyone else it screamed luxury. He was always concerned about the image he projected. I wheeled my suitcase into the elevator and hit the button for Penthouse 8, feeling my stomach turn as I ascended rapidly.

The doors dinged and I exited into his private lobby entry. It was too much to expect him to actually be waiting on my arrival, so I used my key to let myself in.

The marble floors must have been recently polished as the smell of chemicals invaded my nostrils. I left my luggage by the main closet and walked into the rest of the apartment trying to locate my father.

I heard him first, yelling in Turkish in his study. 'Still on the phone then.' I snorted to myself. I made my way to the door, knocking gently on the frame and drawing his attention away from the papers on his desk up to me.

He smiled, showing off too white teeth brightened by the contrast against his tan skin.

"I want this sorted out by Monday, there are still too many points left in this contract from our original redlined agreement. Listen, I have to go my daughter just arrived. We'll talk again tomorrow, goodbye."

"Kiz! You are getting so grown up" He stood up and gave me a bear hug.

With a greeting like this, you'd think he'd actually cared. I suppose he did in his own way, but Abe Mazur was never really cut out to be a father. He was more of benevolent mafia leader type. You wanted him on your side, and he'd take care of you. Cross him, and you're sleeping with the fishes.

"Hi Old Man. You keep working these kinds of hours you are going to give yourself a heart attack."

"You sound like your mother, I'm only 42 for Pete's sake."

"Since when do you talk to Mom?"

"We talk. Don't sound so surprised. We are both still responsible for you."

"Responsible in that you trade off summer's with me when the Academy won't let me stay in the dorms?"

He cleared his throat uncomfortable with my turn of topic and retreated back behind his desk when his phone started ringing.

"You're setup in the guest room, if there is anything you need that isn't already in there, just leave a note and my housekeeper will pick it up for you."

When he picked up his phone, I knew I was effectively dismissed. I slammed the door behind me, no doubt rattling a few of his pictures on the wall in the process.

Grabbing my suitcase, I wheeled it down the hall until I reached my prison for the summer. As far as prison's go, it wasn't that bad. Queen bed flat screen tv, and balcony overlooking the city. I also mercifully had an attached ensuite.

The room to me however felt like a blank canvas, white, steel and wood. I made a mental note to try to find a couple of brightly colored pillows to try to bring life into the room.

After I put away all my clothes in the dresser and closet, I decided I wanted to go walk and explore. My stomach growled, and I knew I would find a fully stocked kitchen down the hall, but I craved the grease of McDonald's.

I shoved my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and grabbed some cash I remembered to exchange at the airport. I didn't bother telling my Dad I was leaving, he wasn't the type to hover or check on me. So long as I stayed out of his way and out of trouble, I was pretty much allowed to do whatever I wanted. When I stayed with my mother it was like living in a military state.

I shoved my hands in my pockets as I walked the few blocks to the fast food chain and my awaiting burger. I never got past how clean Vancouver was as a city compared to even Missoula in Montana.

I saw the familiar golden arches and pulled open the door instantly smelling the fried goodness. After ordering a Big Mac Combo meal, I took my tray and sat down in the corner observing the rest of the clientele on a Tuesday night.

One old man sat at a table in the front nursing a coffee and reading the paper with his cane propped up on the chair next to him. A young mother was in one of the booths, bouncing a baby on her hip tried to mediate the dispute between her other two children fighting over the happy meal toy. And last but not least a group of four teenagers walked in three boys and a girl with blonde bouncing hair.

I couldn't help but watch them out of curiosity, two of the boys were quite tall, one with flaming red hair. The other tall one was broader in the shoulders with dark hair. The last boy with overly styled blonde hair had his arm around the girl's waist and was whispering something into her ear.

While they were ordering, I busied myself with playing the free game on my phone. I hadn't activated international calling yet, and my mom would kill me if I racked up roaming charges trying to text Lissa. I'd have to see if she was on IM when I got home to my laptop.

"Hey," A voice to my left startled me away from popping bubbles on the screen. The red head was standing over me with his thumbs hooked in the pockets of his corduroys as he rocked back and forth.

"Hi…" I said tentatively looking up at him. His smile was nice I decided, he looked genuinely friendly, but that didn't mean he wasn't a potential psychopath.

"My name's Mason. You're welcome to join my friends and I at our table over there if you want." He pointed his thumb back at the other kids who were staring at him in disbelief.

"That's okay, I'm almost done. Besides, not sure everyone at that table wants me to join you guys." The blonde girl had been shooting me daggers since he came over.

He glanced back catching my meaning instantly.

"Mia's alright once you get to know her. She's just protective over all of us."

"Oh? And what's she trying to protect you from now?"

"Well right now she's hoping to protect me from the beautiful girl who could easily break my heart." He slapped his hand over his chest dramatically and waggled his brows.

"Wow… that's cheesy. Epically cheesy. Do you think those lines actually work?" I laughed.

"I was hoping it might. But listen, I don't want to bother you, you just looked like you could use a friend. If you want, a few of us are going over to the ice rink on Napier at 3 if you want to come. I'll also let you graciously hold on to me so you don't slip and fall."

"Well with an offer like that, its gonna be pretty sad when I whip your butt racing around the rink."

His face lit up with a huge smile causing the corners of his eye's to crinkle up.

"So you'll come then, yeah? I promise my friends will be on their best behavior."

"And what about you?"

"Oh, I'll be on my worst behavior." He winked at me and turned around making his way back to his friends who instantly began to grill him on the strange girl on the corner.

I finished up the last of my fries and tossed my rubbish in the bin by the door before heading out. When I got out on to the sidewalk, I watched them all laughing together from the window.

At least if I made a friend this summer, maybe I wouldn't be so damn bored. It had been a couple of years since I last laced up my skates. I mostly avoided ice-skating out of spite towards my mother. For a while she had tried to push her failed career on me, making me take lessons all the time when I was small and practice before I could stay at the Academy full time. I was her little prodigy, but I lacked discipline. Ultimately, she grew frustrated with me and claimed I was a waste of talent.

However it gave her the idea to start coaching professionally now that her body was never going to be up for competing again. I started seeing her less and less, and her desire to force me on the ice dwindled.

I actually enjoyed skating when she wasn't yelling at me to turn faster and lift my leg higher. I was looking forward for tomorrow, Rose Hathaway the ice princess was gonna stretch her legs.


End file.
